Current view: Text account
Site description (1994 baseline):
Site location and context
A stream of treated sewage effluent, flowing 20-30 km south-west from Makkah into the largely flat sandy desert of the Tihamah. The flow is rather erratic, being strongest for the first 12-15 km, after which satellite pools tend to be ephemeral. The water is often densely lined with
Calotropis,
Phragmites and grasses.
See box for key species. A wide range of ducks and waders uses the site in winter. Other migrants include small numbers of
Grus grus and
G. virgo.
Pterocles lichtensteinii and
P. exustus can be very common in the area.
Non-bird biodiversity: See Gasperetti (1989).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Not proposed as a protected area and not threatened, although waterfowl may be shot where the site runs close to the Makkah bypass. 'No hunting' signs could be placed on the adjacent roadside.
Data-sheet compiled by Dr Stephen F. Newton, with comments by P. Symens.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Makkah waste-water stream (Saudi Arabia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/makkah-waste-water-stream-iba-saudi-arabia on 23/12/2024.
